Xplosive Slots

Xplosive Slots

When we talk about online casino software platforms, it’s important to note that some of them aren’t actually independent companies that sprung up on their own. Sometimes, developers will release a subset of games with a particular theme or idea that ties together the portfolio. It’s just like in any other industry: sometimes an established brand wants to distinguish a new line of products, and does so by releasing them under a unique name.

One excellent example of this is Xplosive Slots (sometimes also referred to Explosive Slots). While this is a relatively new name in the industry, only appearing in 2015, the history behind this line of exciting slot machines actually goes back a few years further than that. These games have been developed by BlueOcean Gaming, a company that was founded in 2010 and operates through Italy, Slovenia, and Malta. The company is known for offering up a wide range of iGaming platforms and products, starting in the casino business but also including many other types of gambling.

The Xplosive brand, on the other hand, is exactly what the name suggests: a set of slot machines that are designed to stand as a product on their own. It’s an interesting mix of games, one that offers a lot for players who enjoy diverse themes, expressive artwork and solid gameplay.

An Explosive Mix of Games

The Xplosive Slots collection includes more than a dozen games, all of which are – well, of course – slot machines. These games cover a wide variety of themes, and while none of these are particularly unique or creative, there’s enough variety to offer something that speaks to just about everyone’s tastes.

Artistically, we’d rate these titles as better than average overall, though there’s a lot of variance from one machine to another. Often, there are both positives and negatives to speak of when it comes to the presentation of a particular game, with some very flashy elements and attention to detail apparent in the design of various symbols and backdrops offset by a somewhat static and dated overall impression from the interface and screen design. Another area where the presentation feels a bit out of date is in the sound design, which often consists of little more than some basic mechanical noises, the kind you would expect from the early generations of video slots that were prevalent in live venues decades earlier.

For a better idea of what to expect from these games, let’s take a closer look at a few specific titles. One of the better known games in this collection is Vampire Fortune, a five-line, 25-line slot machine that features a sort of soft horror theme – one that is more like a fun Halloween party than a scary movie. Players are set with matching not only the traditional jacks, queens, kings and aces (albeit versions that have been given little thematic touches, like bats and vampire fangs), but also bats and a cast of characters like a very cool werewolf and a pair of vampires that offer the game’s largest prizes.

One of the things that becomes clear when playing this game and many others in this collection is that there aren’t as many special features as one might expect from such a modern slots library. For instance, this machine has a scatter symbol (a mansion) that can earn players up to 10 free games, but there are no actual wild symbols during the main gameplay. The only time substitutes come into play is during the free spins, when up to three of the high value symbols will become wild to help you score more wins. There’s also a typical gamble feature that gives you the option of risking what you’ve earned on a winning spin: guess the color of a randomly drawn card from a deck, and you’ll double your money, but guess wrong, and you lose it all.

If you’d like to give a much more adorable theme a try, there’s always Kitty’s Luck, a game that is all about our lovable, furry four-legged feline friends. This game is very much in the mold of OMG Puppies or OMG Kittens, using soft, child-like fonts, bright colors, and plenty of bubbly images of the titular cants in order to make sure that this game is as fun and approachable as possible.

You might not expect a game taking that route to have very many interesting gameplay elements, but there’s a bit more here than you might expect. Of course, much of the game is devoted to matching symbols ranging from card ranks to the most adorable kitties you can imagine, but this is handled through a 243 Ways format, meaning you won’t have to worry about paylines – instead, any matching left-to-right combination will score you some prize money.

Beyond that, the bonus features are pretty typical for the Xplosive collection. Hitting three or more scatters will earn you 10 free spins, though there are some pretty nice bonuses to watch out for: as you collect various cat symbols on the reels, you’ll add to multipliers on the associated kittens, meaning that any wins including them could be multiplied by as much as 10x.

We also enjoyed checking out Wild Princess, a hard fantasy title that keels like it could have been inspired by a slew of 1980’s films. Filled with metallic greys and fiery reds, this ten-line, five-reel game has players matching hidden treasures, beautiful women, and fantastic wild cats in action that seems like it could have come right out of Beastmaster or The Sword and the Sorcerer. There’s a wild in this particular game, a princess that not only substitutes for any regular symbol, but also expands to cover the entire reel, allowing it to take part in every possible payline.

Based on the other games we’ve described, you can probably guess what’s coming next: there’s only one special feature, and it once again awards a number of free spins (12, in this case) for hitting three or more scatters (hearts) on a single spin. As an extra reward, the expanding wilds will actually stay in place for the remainder of the bonus feature whenever they are hit, meaning it’s possible to get a lot of guaranteed wins if a couple of wilds appear early in the round.

The format of most Explosive Slots games are similar to those described here. While the gameplay structure and themes vary tremendously, the relative lack of added features is commonplace: most games offer a free spins round and the option gamble game after winning spins, and that’s it. That makes these more suited for those who enjoy classic slots action than those who want tons of bells and whistles constantly changing up gameplay.

Just Games, But Solid Pedigree

It’s not easy to find information on Xplosive Slots online; since it isn’t an independent company, it doesn’t have its own website, and even BlueOcean Gaming doesn’t spend a lot of time talking about these products on their own webpages. And since this brand is online offering games and not a full casino management system, it can easily get lost in the shuffle, with even experienced players not even realizing these games are on their favorite casino sites.

But despite that paucity of information, we know that these games come from dependable and trusted developers who have a history of making strong games. This isn’t just due to BlueOcean’s own reputation, but also the fact that some of their games have been created in partnership with other studios that have also done great work in the past. Small boutique operations like High 5 Games and SuperaGames have been responsible for helping to develop many of the titles in this line, ensuring that players are getting quality products every time they pull up one of these machines.

Few Fireworks from this Explosion

For a signature brand, Explosive Slots doesn’t have all that much sizzle. These games are a solid addition to any casino’s lineup, with fun graphics, some nice formats, and themes that are well realized. But the overall impression we got from the gameplay was that it was just okay. With few unique twists and usually only featuring a free spins game as a bonus, these games won’t do anything to surprise you much, and veteran players might even find them a bit boring.

On the other hand, if you enjoy a more traditional slots experience, these titles certainly deliver on that regard. Without any one outstanding feature, we doubt these slots are on their way to winning a lot of awards or being in high demand from players, but they are certainly more than solid enough to make them worth playing if you’re interested in any of the themes they offer.